Peter & Jen Bryant met in the summer of 2010. Peter is Canadian, and Jen is American, which posed a slight problem for them when they decided shortly after meeting, that they wanted to get married! Peter now lives in Surrey, BC...a short border jump and 30 minute drive from Bellingham, Washington, where Jen lives. This separation allows them to both work, and Peter can pop down on the weekends. Every weekend, they scour flea markets, garage sales and antique stores together...in hopes of finding and rescuing an unloved CPK.
Jen is a California native and currently a student, double majoring in Chemistry and Geology. She's an avid "Coupon Queen," a huge dinosaur lover; enjoys baking and collecting recipes; hockey (Go Sharks!); fossil hunting; watching documentaries; is an admirer of mid-century furniture and clothing and loves traveling.
Peter is a proud Canadian, who has lived in British Columbia nearly his entire life. He's a "jack of all trades," and is currently doing construction work. He's been a fossil hunter for over 15 years, and enjoys spending time working on the HUGE collection he now has. He's a father of 3, (Emily - 16, Krystal - 18 and Kyle - 20) who looks forward to spending as much time with his children as he can. He's an amateur chef, professional drummer of 30 years and antique lover.
Peter's affection for CPK's came after meeting Jen and her CPK of 27 years,
Madeliene! He quickly got used to the little red-headed Kid being in his bed (both of them!) and quickly grew to love Madeliene.
On a rainy day in Innisfail, Alberta, while on a fossil-hunting trip, Peter & Jen found themselves wandering through the town's antique stores. This is where they found their first rescue, that Jen named "Liesl," after one of the Von Trapp kids from The Sound of Music. From that moment on, after seeing how Liesl was thrown into a box under a table, covered in old, smelly dolls, they decided it was their duty to rescue CPK's. The better the condition (clean, untorn cloth, etc), the worse shape they are in. A LOVED CPK looks like Madeliene...."used" a lot. But the CPK Rescuers will take, buy or barter for ANY CPK that is unloved!!!
Peter & Jen's mission is to re-circulate these lovable Kids by rescuing the unloved, and giving them to people and families that will treat them the way they should be treated. It's because of the impact that Madeliene had on Jen's life, that this incredible affection for Cabbage Patch Kids came from.
THE PROCESS
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| We rescued 9 kids in Mt. Vernon, Washington at a thrift store! |
The Rescuer's scope out Craigslist, thrift stores, flea markets, antique malls, and yard sales for CPKs. When one is found, he or she is immediately hugged, wrapped in a blanket and taken home with Jen & Peter. Once home, they are clothes, then observed with the other Kids, and their personalities are noted. This is when Jen gives them a name, fitting their unique personality. After getting comfortable and introduced to the other Kids, they are inspected for injury and/or needed surgeries. They get a facial and scrub, and then, if needed, they get a haircut and/or new hairdo! The final step is to sew on a special little blue label with a star. This is the reminder that your little was was rescued from an aweful place....but now has all the love they need by being re-adopted!
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The day we found Melodie!
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| Lucy getting a scrub-down by Peter |
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| Raimee having minor surgery on her back-side by Emily |
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| Melodie getting her hair cut by Peter |
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| Little Bella's arm needed immediate surgery. All better now! |
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| Bella's post-surgery haircut |
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| Naomi's Rescuer Re-adoption patch. All rescued CPKs get one. |
After the Kids are cleaned and repaired, they are given a cookie and a hug. Next comes being photographed and interviewed for their bio on the
Re-Adoption page. Their bio stays on that page until we are contacted and one of the Kids is inquired about. After the Re-adoption papers are finalized, he or she says "Good-bye" to the other Kids, and is shipped to their new home!
